How to use your shift record to avoid multiple site visits

Multiple site visits are a common problem in the construction industry. They can be time-consuming and expensive, and they can also lead to safety risks.

Have you ever found yourself frustrated by the need for multiple site visits? 

Each visit takes valuable time and resources, impacting your productivity and efficiency. However, there is a powerful tool that can help you avoid these repetitive trips and optimise your workflow – your shift record.

Your shift record is a treasure trove of information, documenting every detail of your site visits, including observations, tasks completed, and challenges encountered. It holds the key to streamlining your operations, making informed decisions, and avoiding unnecessary revisits.

In this blog post, we will explore how you can harness the power of the data collected in your shift record to eliminate the need for multiple site visits. By effectively utilising this valuable resource, you can save time, reduce costs, and improve overall efficiency in the field.

_{The Problem with Paper:}

Traditionally, shift records relied on written notes and descriptions, limiting their potential to provide a comprehensive understanding of on-site conditions. However, with the advent of mobile devices, you can now capture and include photos in your shift record. These visual representations offer critical context and facilitate better analysis, providing a more accurate depiction of progress and issues faced during your site visits.

_{Structured Data for Enhanced Efficiency:}

‍To ensure effective data analysis and avoid the need for additional site visits, it's crucial to structure your shift record data.

The more organized and detailed your records are, the easier it is to delve into the who, what, why, and when of your visits.

As a minimum you should include the following:

_{1. Photographs:}

‍Photos form the backbone of an effective shift record. They enable your team to visually grasp progress without physically being present. When capturing photos on a mobile device, the associated metadata, such as GPS coordinates or geotags, provides vital location information. This data allows you to plot exact site locations on a map, providing a visual representation of your visits. To ensure clarity and usefulness, capture clear photos with recognizable points of reference.

Check out our guide on "How to Take Good Construction Photos At Night" for more information.

_{2. Progress Information:}

‍Documenting progress information is essential for accurately tracking project development. Record key milestones, completed tasks, and any deviations from the original plan. This data enables you to stay on top of the project's timeline and identify potential delays or issues.

_{3. Annotations:}

‍Adding comments or annotations to shift record images enhances depth and context. Highlight details, identify key features, and aid communication with your team. Annotations expedite problem-solving, aid analysis, ensure compliance, and improve collaboration and documentation effectiveness. Use clear, concise comments with relevant keywords and timestamps for accurate context.

_{Using Gather Siteview to Reduce Site Visits:}

‍Integrating Gather Siteview with your shift record management offers the ultimate solution to minimize site visits and optimize efficiency.

_{1. Automatically Plot Images on the Map:}

‍Gather Siteview automatically captures geolocation data for every image you take. This streamlines your workflow and provides essential context, reducing the need for frequent on-site visits.

_{2. Rapidly Identify On-Site Issues:}

‍Efficiently document asset conditions, progress milestones, quality assurance, and safety hazards with geotagged images from Gather Siteview. Instantly shared with your team, these visuals facilitate seamless collaboration, minimizing the need for additional visits to address on-site challenges.

_{3. Visualise Project Insights Together for Better Decisions:}

‍Siteview's easily accessible map view empowers all stakeholders to gain a comprehensive understanding of the project site. By collectively visualizing critical insights, teams can make well-informed decisions remotely, reducing the frequency of site visits.

_{4. Understand the Project Progress Timeline:}

‍Visualize progress over time, from survey to commissioning, and gain a comprehensive perspective of events at each site location. This enriched shift record provides valuable historical insights, reducing the need for revisits to recall past details.

Watch how this works in practise: How to map construction project progress photos in real-time

Embrace the power of your shift record and Gather Siteview to optimize your workflow, enhance project efficiency, and make well-informed decisions with confidence.

Say goodbye to multiple site visits and welcome a new era of streamlined construction industry operations, where data-driven insights pave the way to safer, more efficient, and successful projects.

With these tools at your disposal, you are well-equipped to lead your construction projects into a future of enhanced productivity and success.